: Reno fine art auction attendance records were shattered as over
600 people packed the sales room of the Silver Legacy Resort for
the recent annual Coeur d'Alene Art Auction, one of the largest
auctions in the country of classic Western wildlife and sporting
art.
Bidding was enthusiastic across the board, grossing well in
excess of $10 million and an unprecedented 99 percent sale,
leaving only four items out of 246 unsold.
Telephone and absentee bidding from around the country was brisk
throughout the sale, adding to the energy and drama in the room,
particularly for some of the larger items. New auction records
were established for many artists, as 37 percent of all items
sold exceeded their pre-sale high estimate.
Two of the major paintings broke through the $1 million barrier,
with the cover lot, Charles M. Russell's 18 by 28-inch watercolor
entitled "Trail of the Iron Horse" (1924) selling for $1,036,000
and a rare large oil painting of a Native American village by
Alfred Jacob Miller consigned by the Amon Carter Museum in Fort
Worth, Texas, painted circa 1850, measuring 30 by 40 inches,
selling for $1,064,000. Both paintings were estimated at $600,000
to $900,000.
Other highlights included: Charles M. Russell, "Trails Plowed
Under," pen and ink, $39,200 ($15/20,000); Charles M. Russell,
"The Kindergarten," oil on board, $392,000 ($100/150,000); Olaf
Wieghorst, "Beef Herd," oil on canvas, $168,000 ($60/80,000); A.
Phimister Proctor, "The Q Street Buffalo," bronze, $78,400
($20/30,000); Edgar Paxson, "The Old Guide," oil on canvas,
$95,200 ($40/60,000); Edgar Payne, "Navajo Riders," oil on canvas
$347,000 ($150/250,000).
An Alfred Jacob Miller painting depicting a Native American
village brought $1,064,000.
The following paintings also beat their estimates: Albert
Bierstadt, "Headwaters of the Green River," oil on paper laid on
canvas, $89,600 ($30/50,000); Howard Terp- ning, "Woman of the
Sioux," oil on canvas $324,800 ($150/250,000); Charles M. Russell,
"Red Crow," oil on canvas, $106,400 ($40/60,000); Deborah
Butterfield, "Ismani," steel, $72,800 ($45/65,000); Carl Rungius,
"The Lily Pond," oil on canvas, $246,400 ($100/150,000); J.N.
Stearns, "Washington and the Indians," oil on canvas, $291,200
($75/150,000); Richard Lorenz, "Sunset on the Prairie," oil on
canvas, $280,000 ($75/125,000); and John Clymer, "Beaver Pond," oil
on board, $89,500 ($30/50,000).
All prices include a 12 percent buyer's premium.
